Notre Dame, Ohio State schedule series for 2022, 2023

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly (right) chats with head coach Urban Meyer, then of Florida, in March of 2011.(Photo: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports)

Notre Dame and Ohio State have scheduled a home-and-home series set for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the schools announced Thursday.

The first game will be held in Columbus at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 3, 2022, and the game will move to South Bend the following season on Sept. 23, 2023.

The last time the two programs faced off was the 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, where Troy Smith passed for two touchdowns and 342 yards, propelling the Buckeyes to a 34-20 win over Brady Quinn and the Fighting Irish. The last home-and-home series between the two teams was in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Beyond regional geography, the programs have a number of connections, including the fact Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was an assistant coach at Notre Dame on Lou Holtz's staff, and OSU athletics director Gene Smith played football at Notre Dame.

"Any time you talk about Notre Dame and Ohio State meeting in a football game, that event automatically is going to have huge national significance," Irish coach Brian Kelly said in a statement. "For fans and alumni of the two schools, not to mention college football fans in general, these games will be great attractions."

For Notre Dame, scheduling Ohio State as a non-conference game was crucial to establishing a stronger strength of schedule. The Fighting Irish also have future series with Texas and Georgia, but lose their matchup with Michigan after Saturday's game.